Carrier tape and method of wrapping semiconductor devices using the same

ABSTRACT

Provided are a carrier tape and a method of wrapping semiconductor devices using the carrier tape. The carrier tape may include a frame tape having perforation portions, and a pocket having a recessed bottom on which the semiconductor device may be received. The stopper may prevent the semiconductor device received in the recessed bottom from escaping from the pocket. The stopper may be capable of being attached/detached into/from the perforation portion. The carrier tape may be recyclable to be more environmentally friendly. In addition, even if a defective portion is generated on the pocket, the corresponding portion may be more easily replaced with a new one. Thus, it may be economically advantageous to use the carrier tape.

This non-provisional U.S. patent application claims the benefit ofpriority under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Korean Patent Application No.10-2006-0101026, filed on Oct. 17, 2006, in the Korean IntellectualProperty Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

When semiconductor chips are assembled as semiconductor packages,various types of wrapping materials may be used to transfer thesemiconductor packages to a user safely. Conventionally, carrier tapesor trays may be used as the wrapping materials. The carrier tapeprotects the semiconductor packages included therein from externalshocks, and allows the semiconductor packages to be handled more easily.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a carrier tape according to theconventional art. As shown in FIG. 1, semiconductor devices may beloaded in pockets 14 that are recessed on a carrier tape 10. Upperportions of the pockets 14 may then be sealed by a cover tape 20. Thecarrier tape 10 may be wound on a reel 30 and transferred to the user.

The user may withdraw the semiconductor devices from the carrier tape 10to use the semiconductor packages. To do this, the cover tape 20 may beremoved first, and the semiconductor devices included in the pockets 14withdrawn. In FIG. 1, sprocket holes 12 may be used when the carriertape 10 is wound/unwound, or when the cover tape 20 isattached/detached.

According to the conventional carrier tape 10, once the cover tape 20 isremoved to withdraw the semiconductor devices, it may be impossible touse the cover tape 20 and carrier tape 10 again. As such, theconventional carrier tape may be discarded to become a cause ofenvironmental contamination. Further, even if a defect occurs on onlyone portion of the plurality of pockets 14 and/or the cover tape 20, theentire carrier tape 10 and/or the cover tape 20 must be discarded.

SUMMARY OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Example embodiments may provide a carrier tape that may be recyclable soas not to become a cause of environmental contamination. Even when adefect occurs on recesses of a carrier tape, a corresponding part may beeasily replaced. Thus, the carrier tape may be more economically andenvironmentally advantageous over the conventional art.

Example embodiments also may provide a method of wrapping semiconductordevices using the tape carrier.

According to example embodiments, there may be provided a carrier tapefor receiving semiconductor devices, the carrier tape may include aframe tape having perforation portions, and a pocket. The pocket mayhave a recessed bottom, on which the semiconductor device may bereceived, and a stopper that may prevent the semiconductor devicereceived in the recessed bottom from escaping from the pocket. Thepocket may be capable of being attached/detached into/from theperforation portion.

A pair of stoppers facing each other may be disposed on an openingportion of the pocket. The semiconductor device may be separated bymoving the stoppers so that the pocket and the carrier tape may berecycled.

The pocket may be inserted into the perforation portion to be attachedinto the frame tape.

The carrier tape may further include a reel, on which the frame tape maybe wound.

A lip portion in parallel with the recessed bottom may be formed on atleast a portion of the opening portion of the pocket with constantwidth. The lip portion may prevent the pocket from penetrating theperforation portion even if the pocket is forcefully inserted into theperforation portion of the frame tape.

The pocket may be removably inserted into the perforation portion of theframe tape, and the lip portion may be mounted on a peripheral surfaceof the perforation portion of the frame tape.

The stoppers may be disposed in parallel to the recessed bottom toprevent the semiconductor device from escaping from the pocket. Thestoppers may be capable of rotating toward the recessed bottom and maybe incapable of moving toward the opposite direction of the recessedbottom.

The pocket may be inserted into the perforation portion of the frametape, and the pocket may include a protrusion at least on a side surfaceof the pocket for preventing the pocket from escaping from the frametape.

According to example embodiments, there may be provided a method ofwrapping semiconductor devices using a carrier tape, which may include aframe tape having perforation portions, and a pocket. The pocket mayhave a recessed bottom, on which the semiconductor device may bereceived, and a stopper that may prevent the semiconductor devicereceived in the recessed bottom from escaping from the pocket. Thepocket may be capable of being attached/detached into/from theperforation portion. The method may include attaching the pocket ontothe frame tape, and inserting the semiconductor device into the pocket.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features and advantages of example embodiments willbecome more apparent by being described in detail with reference to theattached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier tape according to theconventional art;

FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of a frame tape and a pocketaccording to an example embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a carrier tape, in which the pocket ofFIG. 2B is attached on the frame tape of FIG. 2A, according to anexample embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the carrier tape taken along lineIV-IV of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a pocket according to an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a pocket according to an exampleembodiment;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a pocket illustrating how aprotrusion formed thereon prevent the pocket from escaping from theframe tape according to an example embodiment;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of protrusions according to anexample embodiment; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view illustrating a method of wrappingsemiconductor devices according to an example embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS

Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference tothe accompanying drawings. Example embodiments may, however, be embodiedin many different forms and should not be construed as being limited toexample embodiments set forth herein. Rather, example embodiments areprovided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and willfully convey the concept of example embodiments to those skilled in theart. In the drawings, the thicknesses of layers and regions areexaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals in the drawings denotelike elements, and thus their description will be omitted.

Detailed illustrative embodiments of example embodiments are disclosedherein. However, specific structural and functional details disclosedherein are merely representative for purposes of describing exampleembodiments. The example embodiments may, however, be embodied in manyalternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only exampleembodiments set forth herein.

Accordingly, while example embodiments are capable of variousmodifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof are shown byway of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail.It should be understood, however, that there is no intent to limitexample embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but on thecontrary, example embodiments are to cover all modifications,equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of exampleembodiments. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout thedescription of the figures.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish oneelement from another. For example, a first element could be termed asecond element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a firstelement, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. Asused herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of oneor more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may bepresent. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being “directlyconnected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there are nointervening elements present. Other words used to describe therelationship between elements should be interpreted in a like fashion(e.g., “between” versus “directly between”, “adjacent” versus “directlyadjacent”, etc.).

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particularembodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of exampleembodiments. As used herein, the singular forms “a”, “an” and “the” areintended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearlyindicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms“comprises”, “comprising,”, “includes” and/or “including”, when usedherein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps,operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude thepresence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps,operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, thefunctions/acts noted may occur out of the order noted in the figures.For example, two figures shown in succession may in fact be executedsubstantially concurrently or may sometimes be executed in the reverseorder, depending upon the functionality/acts involved.

According to example embodiments, there may be provided a carrier tapefor receiving semiconductor devices. The carrier tape may include aframe tape having perforation portions, and pockets. Each pocket mayinclude a recessed bottom on which the semiconductor device may bereceived, and a stopper for preventing the received semiconductor devicefrom escaping from the pocket. The pocket may be capable of beingattached/detached into/from the perforation portions.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a frame tape according exampleembodiments, FIG. 2B is a perspective view of a pocket according toexample embodiments, and FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a carrier tapeaccording to example embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the frame tape 100 may include perforationportions 110. The frame tape 100 may optionally include sprocket holes120 that may be used when the frame tape 100 is wound/unwound. The frametape 100 may be formed of the same material as that of a conventionalcarrier tape. However, the frame tape 100 is not limited thereto becausethere may be no need for the frame tape 100 to be attached to a covertape. Therefore, a wide variety of materials may be used to form theframe tape 100.

A conventional carrier tape may have various widths according to thesizes of the semiconductor devices that are to be received, and acertain semiconductor device may only be received in a carrier tapehaving a corresponding width. However, according to example embodiments,the carrier tape 100 semiconductor devices of different sizes may bereceived by changing pockets 200 (FIG. 2B). The pocket and the frametape are recyclable and therefore are more environmentally friendly.

Referring to FIG. 2A, the size of perforation portion 110 may beadjusted to correspond to a size of the pocket (not shown) that isattached to the frame tape 100. The perforation portions 110 may bearranged with a predetermined interval therebetween to facilitateautomation. The sprocket holes 120 may be fabricated to have variousshapes/intervals.

Referring to FIG. 2B, the pocket 200 may include a recessed bottom 210where the semiconductor device (not shown) may be received, and astopper 220 that may prevent the semiconductor device from escaping fromthe pocket 200. In example embodiments, a pair of stoppers 220 facingeach other may be disposed on an opening portion of the pocket. Thestopper 220 may use a structure familiar to those of skill in the art.However, the structure of the stopper 220 is not limited thereto.

Alternatively, the inner space in the pocket 200 may be adjustedaccording to the size of the semiconductor device that is to be receivedin the pocket 200. If the semiconductor device is small, a pocket havingsmaller inner space may be used to receive the semiconductor device, butstill have the same outer appearance of the pocket 200. Therefore, theframe tape 100 may be used to receive semiconductor devices havingvarious sizes to provide a more economical and easily automatedalternative to the conventional carrier tape.

To attach the pocket 200 to the frame tape 100, the pocket 200 may beinserted into the perforation portion 110 of the frame tape 100.

In example embodiments, referring to FIG. 2B, the pocket 200 may includea lip portion 230 that may be formed with constant width on at least apart of the opening in parallel with the recessed bottom 210. In FIG.2B, lip portions 230 may be disposed on facing two sides of the openingof the pocket 200. The lip portions 230 may also be formed on all sidesof the opening. The lip portions 230 may prevent the pocket 200 frompassing through the perforation portion 110 when the pocket 200 isinserted into the perforation portion 110 of the frame tape 100.

When the pocket 200 is inserted into the perforation portion 110 of theframe tape 100, the lip portions 230 of the pocket 200 may be mounted onperipheral surfaces of the perforation portion 110. Thus, the pocket 200may be coupled to the frame tape 100. FIG. 3 is a perspective viewshowing the pocket 200 mounted on the frame tape 100. FIG. 4 is across-sectional view showing the pocket taken along line IV-IV of FIG.3. The lip portions 230 of the pocket 200 may be mounted on theperipheral surfaces of the perforation portion 110 of the frame tape100.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a pocket 300 according to exampleembodiments. A stopper 320 of the pocket 300 may be parallel withrecessed bottom 310 to prevent the semiconductor device from escapingfrom the pocket 300. The stopper 320 may rotate toward the recessedbottom (direction A in FIG. 5). However, the stopper 320 may not rotatetoward the opposite portion (opposite direction to the direction A inFIG. 5) to prevent the semiconductor device (not shown) received in thepocket 300 from escaping out of the pocket 300. In addition, when thesemiconductor device is to be withdrawn, the stopper 320 may besufficiently rotated in the direction A of FIG. 5 to ensure a sufficientspace so the semiconductor device may be withdrawn.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a pocket 400 according to exampleembodiments. The pocket 400 may be inserted into the perforation portion110 of the frame tape 100. For example, a protrusion 440 may be disposedon at least one side surface 450 of the pocket 400 to prevent the pocket400 from escaping from the frame tape 100.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a pocket showing how the protrusion440 may prevent the pocket 400 from escaping from the frame tape 100. InFIG. 7, the pocket 400 may be inserted into the frame tape 100.Referring to FIG. 7, lip portions 430 may be mounted on the frame tape100, and edges of the perforation portion of the frame tape 100 may beinserted between the protrusions 440 and the lip portions 430.Therefore, the escape of the pocket 400 from the frame tape 100 may beprevented by the protrusion 440.

To separate the pocket 400 from the frame tape 100, the edges of theframe tape 100 may be removed from the gap between the protrusion 440and the lip portion 430. For example, side portions of the frame tape100 may be extended to both side directions to separate the pocket 400,or both side surfaces 450 of the pocket 400 may be pressed to separatethe pocket 400 from the frame tape 100.

FIGS. 8A and 8B are cross-sectional views of a part of a pocket 400showing examples of the protrusion 440.

Referring to FIG. 8A, an upper edge of a protrusion 440 a may berounded. When the upper edge of the protrusion 440 a is rounded, it maybe easier to separate the pocket 400 from the frame tape 100.

In FIG. 8B, an end portion of a protrusion 440 b may be attached to theside surface 450 of the pocket 400, and the other end of the protrusion440 b may be separated from the side surface 450. For example, as shownin FIG. 8B, the end portion of the protrusion 440 b may be attached ontothe side surface 450 of the pocket 400 so as to be inclined. If anexternal force is not applied, the other end of the protrusion 440 b maybe separated from the side surface 450 of the pocket 400 as denoted bythe solid line in FIG. 8B. If an external force is applied toward thecenter portion of the pocket 400, the protrusion portion 440 b may bebent and may be adhered onto the side surface 450 of the pocket 400.

When the protrusion 440 b is attached as above, the pocket 400 may beeasily inserted into the frame tape 100. After inserting the pocket 400into the frame tape 100, the other end portion of the protrusion 440 bmay be separated from the side surface 450 of the pocket 400 to preventthe pocket 400 from escaping from the frame tape 100. When the pocket400 is to be separated, the other end may be pressed to contact the sidesurface 450 of the pocket 400 and the pocket 400 may be easily separatedfrom the frame tape 100.

The carrier tape may further include a reel. The reel may be the reel 30of FIG. 1, but is not limited thereto. When the frame tape 100, in whichthe pocket 200, 300, or 400 is inserted, is wound on the reel, thecarrier tape may be easily handled.

According to example embodiments, there is provided a method of wrappingsemiconductor devices using a carrier tape receiving semiconductordevices, which may include a frame tape having perforation portions, anda pocket including a recessed bottom, on which the semiconductor devicemay be received, and a stopper preventing the semiconductor device fromescaping from the pocket, and capable of being attached/detachedinto/from the perforation portion, the method may include attaching thepocket into the frame tape, and inserting the semiconductor device intothe pocket. FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating anexample method of wrapping the semiconductor device.

Referring to FIG. 9, the pocket 200 may be removably attached into theperforation portion 110 of the frame tape 110 and a semiconductor device500 may be inserted into the pocket 200. Attaching of the pocket 200 maybe performed by inserting the pocket 200 into the perforation portion110. As described above, the pocket 200 may be inserted until the lipportions of the pocket 200 are mounted on the surface of the frame tape100.

During insertion of the semiconductor device 500 into the pocket 200,the stoppers 230 may be folded toward the inside of the pocket 200, andthen, unfolded. After inserting the semiconductor device 500 into thepocket 200, the stoppers 230 may be arranged in parallel with therecessed bottom of the pocket 200 to prevent the semiconductor device500 from escaping from the pocket 200.

According to example embodiments, the carrier tape may be recyclable tobe more environmentally friendly. Even if a defective portion isgenerated on the pocket, the corresponding portion may be easilyreplaced with a new one. Thus, it may be economically advantageous touse the carrier tape of example embodiments.

While example embodiments have been particularly shown and describedwith reference to the drawings thereof, it will be understood by thoseof ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detailsmay be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope ofexample embodiments as defined by the following claims.

1. A carrier tape for receiving a semiconductor device, the carrier tapecomprising: a frame tape including perforation portions; and a pockethaving a recessed bottom, and a stopper that retains the semiconductordevice received in the pocket, wherein the pocket is capable of beingattached/detached into/from the frame tape.
 2. The carrier tape of claim1, wherein the pocket includes a pair of stoppers facing each other fromopposite sides of an opening portion of the pocket.
 3. The carrier tapeof claim 1, wherein the pocket is removably insertable into theperforation portions.
 4. The carrier tape of claim 1 wherein the carriertape is windable on a reel.
 5. The carrier tape of claim 1, wherein thepocket includes a lip portion parallel to the recessed bottom, the lipportion having a constant width on at least a portion of the openingportion of the pocket.
 6. The carrier tape of claim 5, wherein thepocket is removably insertable into the perforation portion of the frametape, and the lip portion is mounted on a peripheral surface of theperforation portion of the frame tape.
 7. The carrier tape of claim 1,wherein the stopper is parallel to the recessed bottom, and the stopperis capable of rotating toward the recessed bottom and is incapable ofmoving toward in an opposite direction of the recessed bottom.
 8. Thecarrier tape of claim 1, wherein the pocket is removably insertable intothe perforation portion of the frame tape, and the pocket includes aprotrusion at least on a side surface of the pocket that prevents thepocket from escaping from the frame tape.
 9. The carrier tape of claim1, wherein the perforation portions are uniform in size and the pocketshave a non-uniform inner space to receive semiconductor devices ofvarious sizes.
 10. The carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the pocketincludes a lip portion around a periphery of an opening of the pocket.11. The carrier tape of claim 1, wherein the frame tape includessprocket holes.
 12. The carrier tape of claim 8, wherein the protrusionis parallel to a lip portion that extends from the side surface of thepocket.
 13. The carrier tape of claim 8, wherein the protrusion isrounded.
 14. The carrier tape of claim 1, further comprising a covertape covering an opening in the pocket.
 15. A method of wrappingsemiconductor device using a carrier tape, including a frame tape havingperforation portions; and a pocket having a recessed bottom and astopper that retains the semiconductor in the pocket, the pocket capableof being attached/detached into/from the perforation portion, the methodcomprising: removably attaching the pocket into the frame tape; andinserting the semiconductor device into the pocket.
 16. The method ofclaim 15, wherein the attaching of the pocket onto the frame tapeincludes: inserting the pocket into the perforation portion of the frametape.
 17. The method of claim 15, further comprising removing the pocketfrom the frame tape.
 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the removingincludes pressing opposing side surfaces of the pocket to separate thepocket from the frame tape.
 19. The method of claim 17, wherein theremoving includes depressing protrusions that extend from side walls ofthe pocket.